Karma's a....

It's been a day since the U.S. lost to the Netherlands 2-1 on a late goal by Bocanegra.  Since then, I have been in a car accident.  No major injuries, thank you, but I was the victim of a tailgater and for once the accident wasn't my fault.  At the moment of collision I thought to myself...should I have been so harsh on some of our national team members?  Should I have given Bradley an easier ride (seeing as mine got all messed up)?


The simple answer is NO.  Too often American fans and media play paddy-cake with our national team and the style/level of play in MLS.  After the Confederations Cup final, everyone was pleased that the U.S. lost a 2 goal first half lead to lose 3-2 to Brazil.  Granted it was Brazil, but there is no excuse for such a result against any side.  Let it be known I'm not just a hater, I'll give credit where credit is due (hence Bradley's decision to include Torres in his side), but I will also call people out when their performances are shoddy (hence Bornstein and my calls for his resignation from international duty).  So, in my perpetual state of "the world is out to get me," in the moments following my accident, I decided...it ain't my fault.

On the most upbeat of notes...I'm still as excited as any for this summer's main event.  LESS THAN 100 days!  And I do think the Americans have what it takes to step up in the spotlight against teams they "should" beat. 
They need to get the right guys healthy...Dempsey, Onyweu and hopefully a miraculous recovery for Davies, who should be proud no matter what the end result of his rehab.  The men need to come together.  For the first time in men's national team history we will field a squad that will have faced some of the best clubs in Europe when away on club duty.  There will be egos and confidence that Bradley must mold into a machine toward one goal.  Thirdly, that machine must all be on the same page for style and tactics.  I gave my suggestion of playing to our strengths and not attempt to play a homeless man's Barcelona style.  We should have a real shot against England, Algeria and Slovenia if we play high pressure defense with our forwards, purposeful possession (one twos on the wing) and get the ball into dangerous positions through route 1 or 2 soccer.  The purists and Arsenal's Wenger may disagree, but we'll see.  Every team has a style...certainly the Americans must capitalize on their hunger and athleticism.  When I say "Brazilian soccer" you envision a style of play that looks something like this...